Western Area Power Administration (Western) received a request from Rice Solar Energy, LLC (RSE) to interconnect its proposed Rice Solar Energy Project (Project) to Western's Parker-Blythe No. 2 Transmission Line. The Project would be located in eastern Riverside County, California, near State Route 62, approximately 40 miles northwest of Blythe, California, and 15 miles west of Vidal Junction, California. On June 10, 2011, the Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Plan Amendment for Rice Solar Energy Project was published in the Federal Register (76 FR 34073). After considering the environmental impacts, Western has decided to allow RSE's request for interconnection to Western's transmission system at its Parker-Blythe No. 2 Transmission Line and to construct, own, and and operate a new substation.